Meg Whitman

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2010 file photo, California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman speaks to employees of SynapSense, a computer technology company, in Folsom, Calif. In the midst of one of the worst recessions in decades, a host of former corporate titans are spending millions in the quest for elective office, using their big bankrolls to push past the political machinery and overcome their own lack of experience.